27/2/07 (The Star)  - KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is losing 1,000ha of mangrove swamp for developing two palm oil industrial cluster zones in the east coast.

The two zones for the Palm Oil Industrial Cluster (POIC) in Lahad Datu and Sandakan were outside the 40,000ha of mangrove swamps gazetted for protection by the state two-years ago.

"It is always difficult to balance between development and the environment," the State Secretary Datuk K.Y.Mustafa said with regards to concerns over the clearing of mangrove swamps at a time when the Prime Minister wanted such areas protected.

Mustafa said on Tuesday that the two areas - about 600ha of wetlands in Lahad Datu and an estimated 400ha at Sibuga near Sandakan - were identified for industrial development because they were close to ports.

He said the mangrove swamps cleared for the Lahad Datu POIC zone were mainly on private land and some parts of the sea front.

With regards to the intended clearing of another 30% of mangrove to make way for a second POIC zone in Sibuga, he said that the wetlands concerned was along a river but the general location was on the periphery of the Seguntor industrial estate.

Elabrating further on why Sabah was clearing the mangrove swamps in the state after Mustafa opened a Global Climate Change seminar here, the Sabah Science and Technology advisor Datuk Tham Nyip Shen said the wetland clearing was necessary.

Tham said that the development was needed to meet the downstream needs of the Sabah palm oil industry.

He added the state has been very aggressive in conservation including gazetting Maliau Basin and Kinabanatangan Wildlife Flood plain among others.

He said both the POICs were planned way back in 1996 and there was a need for them to be close to ports.

"They are bigger areas being kept for conservation and these two places are zoned for industrial developmentm," said Tham, a former deputy chief minister.